Phillies erase De Fratus, Pettibone from roster

Justin De Fratus, who accumulated a dismal 5.51 ERA as a long reliever this season, was one of seven players the Phillies outrighted off their 40-man roster on Wednesday.

They also cleared from the roster righthander Jonathan Pettibone, lefthanders Adam Loewen and Ken Roberts, catcher Erik Kratz, outfielder Jordan Danks and infielder Chase d'Arnaud. Pettibone, a former prospect who in July underwent shoulder surgery for the second straight year, was activated from the 60-day disabled list in order to be outrighted.

De Fratus, 27, was viewed as a piece of the bullpen's future after the 2014 season, when he recorded a 2.39 ERA over 522/3 innings, mostly pitching in a seventh- or eighth-inning role.

But he struggled when thrust into long relief this season, his slider coming across flatter than seasons past. He capped the regular season having thrown more pitches (1,445) than any other reliever in baseball. The 80 innings he logged were the most among National League relievers.

- Jake Kaplan